Beginning in January 2022, the ground was broken for thirty townhomes that were going to be constructed along Orange Center Boulevard in Washington Shores. However, it took almost three years for the slabs to be poured.
An individual who lives in the neighborhood contacted the Channel 9 Investigates Team of WFTV. This individual believed that she would have been relocated to the Townhomes at West Lakes by this point.
In spite of the fact that she requested that we not reveal her name, she stated, “We never thought that we would ever be able to afford something like this.” Such as a townhouse that has three walls, two bathrooms, and a garage that can accommodate two cars.
Although we never imagined that we would be able to afford this, the manner in which they presented it with the communal land trust model made us think that we might be able to afford it.
We are able to accomplish that. Because of the way that you have this kind of program set up, we are able to afford this type of program.
According to her, the project was going at a snail’s pace, and inhabitants became aware that something was off the previous year.
A letter from the Executive Director of the Hannibal Square Community Land Trust was delivered to her in July of 2024, indicating that there had been additional delays.
When she and others were informed by the corporation, they were informed that there was no date yet on when work would begin.
However, this will not be the case. The second letter arrived a little more than two months after the first one, and it stated that the project would not be constructed at all, and that they would return her investment.
According to Barkari Burns, the Commissioner of the City of Orlando, “They encounter some financial difficulties.”
According to what I have been told, the finance company is currently in the process of foreclosing on the developer; however, we will make sure that affordable housing is built in that location, and the City of Orlando will make sure that this happens.
However, this is of little significance to the woman and her family that we spoke with. “I was hanging in because I am like, okay, just a little while longer, you know, and we are going to be there,” she said. There is going to be a solid location for us, but that is not going to actually happen.
Therefore, I had no choice but to move into Plan B, which consists of a one-bedroom apartment for both my daughter and me, and all I could do was attempt to save as much money as I could until, I do not know, the market does something that it is not doing right now. Who can say for sure?
There was no response from the Hannibal Square Community Land Trust to our request for information or comment concerning the matter.
Additionally, there are other properties that are mentioned as potential locations for affordable housing. The homeowners were successful in recouping their deposits.